Listen to your next favourite book!
Hello from the Lit in Colour team at Penguin!
We have put together the below books for you to explore whenever you feel like it.
You can learn more about each book, listen to snippets and even buy the book if you want to read more! You can also listen to the whole book if you have a Spotify account.
Whether you’re listening on the way to school, at home or with friends, we hope you can relax, escape and enjoy. Just click on the age range you think best describes you and allow yourself to get lost in a story.
Please note that the recommended ages below are a guide. We realise this will vary from one individual young person to another, this is more of a starting point for familiarising yourselves with what is available!
Books for Ages
11-14
Noughts and Crosses
Sephy is a Cross: she lives a life of privilege and power. Callum is a nought: he's considered to be less than nothing - a blanker, there to serve Crosses. They've been friends since they were children, and they both know that's as far as it can ever go.
Skin of the Sea
Simidele is one of the Mami Wata, mermaids duty-bound to collect the souls of those who die at sea and bless their journeys back home to the Supreme Creator.
Roar
Rizu lives a comfortable life in the gated middle class suburbs of Delhi; her biggest worries are getting her homework done and keeping up with the mean girls at school. That is, until she’s accused of being a witch and the hysteria that follows triggers a chain reaction that ends in tragedy.
Wild East
When fourteen-year-old Ronny’s life is struck by tragedy, his mum decides it’s finally time they move out of East London. But when a local poet comes into class, Ronny discovers a world he’s never considered before.
Books for Ages
14-16
Of Jade and Dragons
Aihui Ying’s life is viciously torn apart when her father is killed by a masked assassin. Left with only his journal and a jade pendant snatched from his killer, she vows to take her revenge.
Always Winning
From 'Adolescence' and 'Top Boy' to 'So Solid Crew', Ashley Walters’ explosive on-screen performances and trailblazing music has always explored the same conflicting forces that have governed his life.
Sweetness in the Skin
Fourteen-year-old Pumkin Patterson lives in a two-room house in Kingston Jamaica with her devoted grandmother, her beloved Aunt Sophie, and a mother who could not care less about her.
Open Water
Two young people meet at a pub in South East London. Both are Black British, both won scholarships to private schools where they struggled to belong…
Books for Ages
16-18
The Exes
Natalie’s in tears in her bedroom. She’s had a huge argument with her husband. Slowly, she realises she’s already holding a knife.
Wimmy Road Boyz
A white bimmer hurtles down manchester’s curry mile, carrying three brown boys in pursuit of a wild night out, oi oi oi!
Sunstruck
It’s summer. An unnamed young man walks through the gates of a luxurious mansion in the South of France, ready to join the Blake family on their annual holiday. He quickly falls for Felix, the Blake’s eldest son and, suddenly, a new world of money and power feels within reach.
Introducing George the Poet
A young black poet blending spoken word and rap; an inner city upbringing with a Cambridge education; a social consciousness with a satirical wit and infectious rhythm – George The Poet is the voice of a new generation.
We also encourage you to go on your local library’s website, as most libraries have a digital library where you can listen to whole books for free!
Lit in Colour is a programme from Penguin Books that aims to make the study of English more inclusive of authors of colour and to connect more young people to books by authors of colour to read. Take a look at our (incomplete) book lists for more recommendations!
For parents and carers, we recommend taking a look at the National Year of Reading website for guidance on reading among young people ages 11+.